Harvester thresher



Dec. 17, 1940. A. c. LINDGREN ET AL 0 HARVESTER THRESHER Filed Sept. 16,1957 4 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 17, 1940- A. c. LINDGREN ETAL 2,224,970

HARVESTER THRESHER Filed Sept. 16, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 hi a g .45 62Dec. 17, 1940. A. c. LINDGREN ET AL 2 HARVESTER THRESHER Filed Sept. 16,1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Dec. 17, 1940. A.. c. LINDGREN ETAL 2224,97)

HARVESTER THRESHER Filed Sept. 16, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 y M W xiii/1Patented Dec. 17,

Alexus c. Lindgren, Chicago, and Clemma a.

Baney, Riverside, 11L, assignors to International Harvester Company, acorporation of New Jersey Application September 16, 1937, Serial No.164,234

12 Claims. (01. 56-20) The invention relates to a harvester thresher andmore particularly to that type having a harvester platform including anauger conveyer for conveying the cut grain transversely into alongitudinally disposed feeder that serves to direct the grain into thethreshing cylinder of the thresher part of the machine. p

In these so-called auger types of combines it has not been possible inthe past to narrow the width of the machine by folding the platformbecause of the mounting of the auger which made such folding ornarrowing of the platform impossible. Since these harvester threshersare of relatively large size, it is difficult to move them throughnarrow gates and over narrow passageways in transporting the machinefrom one field to another. It is desirable, therefore, that "a structurebe provided which will permit a harvester thresher of this auger type tobe materially narrowed for transport through narrow-places.

In auger combines of the type where the auger feeds into the side of thelongitudinal feeder for the thresher, it is desirable to construct thedischarge end of the auger in a manner efficiently to cause it totransfer the cut grain onto the feeder conveyer. It is also important toconstruct the trough or platform structure beneath the discharge end ofthe auger in a manner-preventing the formation of a pocket which willcatch loose grain and prevent it from being transferred onto thelongitudinal feeder conveyer.

It is also desirable to provide improved adjusting mechanism for raisingand lowering the harvester part to adjust the height of cut thereof,

- and to associate such means with an improved operators deck so thatcontrol of the combine may be as efficient and convenient as possible.

For machines of this type,-it is also desirable to provide an improvedcounterbalancing mechanism for the harvester part as well as an improvedmeans for supporting the auger conveyer over the platform trough.

The main object of the invention, therefore, is generally to provide animproved harvester thresher, or combine as they are also called.

Another object of the invention is to provide to prevent formation of apocket, thereby also facilitating transfer of cut material from theplatform trough to the longitudinal feeder conveyer.

Still another important object of the invention 5 is to provide in anauger type of harvester part for a harvester thresher, means enablingthe outer end of the harvester to be folded in a facile manner fornarrowing the overall width of the machine so that it may beconveniently transported through narrow places.

Another object is to provide an improved means for mounting the saidauger conveyer.

Another object is to provide an improved means for counterbalancing theweight of the harvester part to facilitate adjustment thereof whenaltering the height of out.

Another object is to provide an improved ad- .justing means for raisingand lowering the harvester-part. V

' Another object is to provide an improved operas tors deck, or station,on the harvester thresher associated with said adjusting means in such amanner as to make adjustments ofthe harvester part simple andconvenient.

Another important object of the invention is to make possible thefolding of the. harvester part without interfering with or having todismantle the drive connections for the auger.

Another important object is to provide a simple means for maintainingthe axis of the auger at all times parallel to the bottom of thecooperating platform trough.

Other important objects of the invention will become known as thedisclosure is more fully made. Briefly, these desirable objects may beachieved by providing a harvester thresher having a transverse axle anda wheel supporting each end thereof, said axle, carrying along itsstubbleward side a forwardly extending draft frame and between saiddraft frame and the grainward wheel a longitudinally disposed thresherpart on top of which is disposed a motor having appropriate connectionstherefrom to drive the various operative parts of the machine. Theforward end of the thresher part carries a transverse shaft from whichis hingedly hung for up and down movement a harvester part whichincludes a longitudinal feeder in forward alinement with the thresherpart and a transversely extending platform trough part extending in agrainward direction and for a considerable length grainwardly of thegrainward wheel of the machine but forwardly of the axle. The axlecarries an improved counterbalancing mechanism for springing the weightof said harvester part, and an operator's deck, carried transversely thetop of the thresher, has associated wi it manually operable adjustingmeans for raising and lowering said harvester part. The harvester partis a unit composed of the feeder and an auger 'conveyer along with theplatform trough for the latter, and a sickle, or knife, extending thefull width of the harvester part in advance of the feeder and the augerconveyer. The auger conveyer is driven and supported from its outer, orgrainward end only, and preferably terminates short of the feederconveyer so that its feeds into the side of the latter. The terminal, ordischarge, end of the auger conveyer is constructed with a cone shapedend and cooperates with a ramp formed in the bottom of the trough sothat the cone and the ramp cooperate effectively to transfer allmaterial from the trough onto the feeder conveyer. The outer end of theplatform, which includes the auger conveyer, is formed with upper andlower hinge means arranged along an upwardly and rearwardly inclinedaxis disposed slightly stubblewardly of the grainward wheel and inadvance thereof so that this outer grainward portion of the harvesterpart may be hinged upwardly and forwardly to narrow the width of themachine an amount equal to about the wheel tread of the machine, thusmaking it possible conveniently to move same through narrow places.

This improved construction is shown in the accompanying drawingswherein:

Figure 1 is a general plan view of the harvester thresher;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view thereof with the outer or grainwardportion of the harvester part folded for transport;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail perspective view to show the hingestructure which makes possible the folding of the harvester part;

Figure 4 is a general side elevational view looking from the grainwardside showing the harvester part folded to its transport position;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail side elevational view showing theharvester part unfolded or in its operative cutting position;

Figure 6 is a detail view of a drive coupling Part used in driving theauger;

Figure 7 is a front detail perspective view of the harvester partshowing the relationship between the discharge end of the auger and thelongitudinal feeder conveyer for the thresher;

Figure 8 is a rear perspective view of the hinge 56 and drivingstructure for the folding part of the platform;

Figure 9 is a rear elevational view showing in detail the drivingcoupling for the auger drive n 00 Figure 10 is a cross sectional viewtaken along the line Ill-ll ofFigureiitoillustratethe means for levelingthe axis of the auger to be parallel with the bottom of the augertrough; and,

Figure 11 is a diagrammatic plan view of the harvester thresher.

The general organization of the improved harvester thresher is shown inFigures 1 and 11, where it will be seen that a transverse dead axle I5is provided, with one end thereof supported in a stubbleward wheel l6and the other end of said axle being carried in a grainward wheel I'I,both of which wheels for the sake of illustration having been shown asof the pneumatic rubber tire type. Connected to and extendinglongitudinally forwardly from the stubbleward end of the axle ills adraw frame", the forward end of which is'not shown but which it will beunderstood can be connected to the draw-bar of a tractor. Substantiallymidway between the two wheels II and II, the axle II rigidly carries 5 alongitudinally dispomd thresher part or grain separator II on top ofwhich is transversely positioned an internal combustion engine 20, thecrankshaft of which carries a pulley 2| hanging over the stubblewardside of the thresher body 10 I9. It will be noted that the engine 20 isdisposed directly over the axle I! so that the weight of the engine istransmitted directly to the axle l5. Extending forwardly from thethresher body I! is a rigid frame structure 22 for supporting 15 atransverse operator's deck or station 23 running transversely across thefront end of the thresher body IO, there being a ladder 24 extending ina transverse and downward direction to the draw frame I. so that anoperator can 20 conveniently climb up to his station 22, the framestructure 22 also extending around the grainward side of the thmher bodyI2, as shown in Figure l, to provide an auxiliary longitudinallydisposed operator's deck 25 in the nature of an 25 extension of the deck23 to enable an attendant to crank the engine 2|.

The forward lower edge of the body ll carries a transverse shaft 2' fromwhich is pivotally hung a harvester part 21 which, at its front end,includes a transverse angle bar 28 and rearwardly and upwardly curvedangle bars 29 forming a frame upon which ismounted a similarly curvedsheet metal trough ll including a backboard portion II which at itsstubbleward end 35 is out off to provide a space for a longitudinallyrunning endless feeder conveyer 32. This harvester unit is connected tothe shaft 26 for up and down pivotal movement and the outer end, in agrainward direction, is hung from a coaxial 40 hinge pin 26', saidlatter pin being carried in a frame structure 21' braced to the axle II.A line lever structure 2", as shown in Figure 8, is rigidly secured bymeans of bolts 2! and ears 30' to the frame structure 2| for thebackboard ll 45 of the platform troimh ll.

As shown in Figure 5, the grainward end of the harvater platformstructure includes an end angle bar frame piece 20 and an upwardly andrearwardly inclined frame plate 23. This end 50 angle bar 2! and frame32 carries a rectangular plate 34 which is suitably formed with acylindrical extension, 3' braced by integral veins I6 radiating from thecylinder 25. This end wall or plate 34 thus is very sturdy and thecylindrical 1 portion 25 thereof forms a support for rigidly carrying inany appropriate manner an inner shaft,notshown,formountinganauger shaft31 includingtbeaugerflllhts a. Thisshaft ll andtheaugerformedthereonextendtransverselyofthetrough2l,thelargehollowshaft having formed at itsdischarge end a conically shaped tip 30 which tenninatu just short ofthe grainward edge of the feeder conveyer 32. The trough 3|! below theauger 38 below this tip 30 merges into a ramp portion II which isupwardly and stubblewardly inclined so that material fed from thedischarge end of the auger 38 will be wiped or forced laterally upwardorntov the feeder conveyer 32 which is disposed at a somewhat higher 7level than the bottom of the trough ll thus eliminating any chance formaterial to accumulate at the discharge end of the auger and insuringthat all material from the auger and trough will be transferred onto thefeeder conveyer. The 76 flights or turns of the auger 33 are continuedon a reduced pitch diameter onto the cone shaped tip 39, as best shownin Figure 7.

To prevent the auger from carrying the material around itself and toinsure that the material will be moved in the direction of the feederconveyer 32, the backboard 3| on its front face behind the auger isformed with an upwardly and forwardly curved sheet metal inverted troughportion 4| tied to the backboard by an upper brace or shield portion 42,this shield structure "-42 terminating with the end of the backboard 3!adjacent the grainward side of the feeder 32, as shown in Figure 7.

It will be noted that the plate 33 is secured 'to the end frame 29 andframe 33 at four points by bolts 43, each one of these connections beingas shown in Figure 10 where it will be seen that a pack of shims, orwashers, I4 is arranged between the plate 34 and the frame 29, as wellas the frame 33, so that by taking out or putting in more of the shimsor washers 44 the plate 33 may be cocked or mounted in various angularpositions with respect to a vertical plane to insure leveling of theauger shaft 31 and the retention thereof with its axis parallel at alltimes to the run of the trough 33.

The bar 29, heretofore described, extends along the full width of theplatform 33 and the feeder 32, said bar carrying the usual finger guards45 for a reciprocating sickle 45 which cuts the grain, the sickle, itbeing noted, extending infront of the auger as well as in front of thefeeder 32, the ends 21 and 33 of this platform structure respectivelycarrying divider members 31 and 43. The frame piece 33 carries anupright hinged post 39 on which is carried a forwardly extending framepiece 53 for mounting the grainward end of a reel shaft 5| on which iscarried the usual reel 52, the said reel shaft at its stubbleward endbeing carried by a forwardly extending frame bar 53 similar to the frame53 and supported in a similar manner by means of an upwardly extendinghinged post 54. I

The frame members 23 carry brackets for supporting a transverse shaft 53on the backboard 3|. The outer end of this shaft carries a sprocketwheel and chain connection 51 to drive the auger 33 in any desiredmanner. The stubbleward end of the shaft 53 includes a jaw clutch part51' which is adapted to be pressed into engagement by a spring 53 with acomplementary jaw clutch part 59 formed on a coaxial shaft 53 carried ina bearing 5! in any suitable manner, asshown in Figures 8 and 9. Thisshaft 33 extends across the feeder conveyer 32 and carries and drives alower beater 32 to assist the feeder 32 in transferring the cut materialrearwardly into the separator body l3 for threshing. This shaft 53carries a sprocket wheel 52' driven from a chain 53 also trained aroundan idler wheel 34, the lower run of said chainpassing around a sprocket55 on the axis 25, which sprocket is on the shaft of the drive rollerfor the feeder conveyer 32. The front loop of the chain 53 is trainedaround an idler wheel 35. Another drive chain 51 drives a sprocket wheel53 for an upper beater over the feeder 32, whichbeater is not shown,said chain 51 being trained around an idler wheel 53, as shown in Figure4. It will be noted from Figure 6 that the clutch coupling 59 has atapered projecting end 13 adapted to fit a socket in the complementaryclutch part 53 in establishing and centering the driving couplingbetween the shaft 53 and the shaft 53.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, a pair of adjacent angle bars 23 arereleasably bolted together by bolts II and the upper ends of these twoadjacent bars 29 carry complementary hinge brackets I2 hingedlyconnected together by a hinge pin 13. See also Figure 3. The bar 23 isalso divided by Joining two portions thereof in end to end relation bymeans of a hinge pin 14. These hinge pins I3 and 13 are on a common axisinclined rearwardly and upwardly, as indicated in Figure 3. so that whenthebolts Ii are removed the en tire outer end of the platform, includingthe auger 33, may be hingedly swung up to the position shown in Figures2 and 4, in which position said outer end of the platform is movedupwardly and forwardly because of the tilted axis provided so that thewidth of the harvester thresher may be materially reduced to a widthequal substantially tothe tread of the wheels l5 and H. In other words,this hinge axis '|3i4 is disposed sufficiently stubbleward of thegrainward wheel I! so that when the outer end of the harvester part hasbeen folded, it will narrow the machine to a width equal to the tread ofthe wheels which support the machine, as shown in Figure 2. When theouter end of the harvester partis so folded, one or more of the guardfingers 45 adjacent the hinge 14 must be removed to provide thenecessary clearance and, obviously, the reel 52 and its shaft 5| mustalso be removed from the supporting bars 53 and 53, the removed reel, ifdesired, being carried in suitable brackets 15 on top of the thresherbody I3 as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1. Preferably, thereel should be iongitudinally disposed in this position so that it toowill be confined within the wheel tread of the machine. The drive to allof the various operative mechanisms is taken from the engine and itspulley 2|, and since the driving mechanism forms no part of thisinvention, it will not be described.

When the outer end of the harvester part is hlngedly swung to its foldedposition, a stay rod 15 is connected between a portion of the machineadjacent the divider member andthe frame piece 53 so that whentransporting the machine whipping of the folded part cannot occur.

The frame structure includes an upright post I1 appropriately braced asat 18, carrying on its 7 upper end a pivot shaft 13 about which istumable an eccentric rocker bracket 33 to which is connected one end ofa chain 3i including a battery of counterbalancing springs 32appropriately connected at a point 83 to a bracket 84 extending Irearwardly from the axle l5, as shown in Figure 4. From the eccentricrocker element 33 also extends a chain 35 connected to a ball 35 whichhas opposite ends hooked into spaced points on the line lever structure23. Connected to the rocker member 33 is a forwardly extending arm 31,to the front end of which is pivotally connected an upright rack bar 33passing upwardly through a hole formed in the operators deck 23, saidrack bar 83 being movable up and down by a rotary pin wheel 33 on atransverse shaft 33 supported in brackets 3i along the front side of theoperator's deck 23. The shaft 93 is turnable by a hand wheel 32 whichcan he slipped onto either end of the shaft 93 as indicated in dottedlines in Figure 2, so that said shaft 33 may be rotated from either endof the deck 23. When the wheel 32 is turned, the shaft 93 and pin 89rotate to cause the rack bar 33 to raise or lower the arm 31 and rockthe rocker member 33 which, through the chain 85 and bail 35, raises orlowers the entire harvester part about the axis 25-25 to ad- Just theheight of cut of the harvester part. A lock means 83 of any standardform may be manually controlled by a lever It to hold'the shaft I0against rotation and maintain the harvester part locked in any desiredposition of adjustment. The shaft serves as a front hand rail for theoperator on the deck 23.

This constitutes the detailed description of the parts of the harvesterthresher incorporated in this invention.

In use and operation, the machine is in the unfolded position shown inFigure 1. A tractor pulls the draw frame it to advance the harvesterthresher over the ground on its two wheels l6 and H. The engine 20,through pulley 2!, provides power for driving the various operativeparts such as the reel 52 and the sickle 46. As the machine advancesover the ground, grain is cut and batted back by the reel onto theplatform trough 30 and onto the feeder conveyer 32, the grain falling onthe feeder conveyer 32 being immediately and directly advancedrearwardly into the separator l9 while that grain received by the augerconveyer 38 is moved in a stubbleward direction over the trough bottom30 toward the feeder conveyer 32, the cone tip 38 and the ramp 40between the auger and the conveyer facilitating the transfer of the cutgrain from the platform trough 30 onto said feeder and the troughconstruction 4I42 acting as a guide to insure movement of the cut cropby the auger in a direction toward the feeder 32. The auger is firmlysupported from one end only through the means of the reenforced plate 34and the cylinder bearing extension 35 thereof and rigidly carried in theend frame pieces 29 and 33 of the harvester platform. The platform canbe raised or lowered by the hand wheel 92 and the shaft 50 through thecounterbalanced lift connections heretofore described. When the outerend of the platform trough is in the unfolded position, the clutchcoupling 58-59 automatically connects the shafts 56 and GI to insuretransmission of the drive to the outer end of the auger for driving thesame.

When it is desired to narrow the machine for transportation throughnarrow places, the reel 52 is removed and temporarily mounted on thebrackets 15 on the thresher body It. The outer portion of the platformcan now be swung upwardly and forwardly about the hinge axis IS-I4 tocarry the platform to the position shown in Figures 2 and 4 fortransportation, the brace rod 16 being put in place to retain the outerend of the platform in its folded position. The guide rail "-42 ismerely split along this axis, as indicated in Figure 3, so that theparts readily divide and come together again. The auger 38, of course,is carried entirely by this outer part of the harvester platform and,consequently, must fold with it as indicated in Figures 3 and 4. Theclutch coupling 5859 merely separates when this folding operation isperformed.

This completes the description and operation of the improved harvesterthresher, one practical example of which has been shown and described inthis application. It is the intention to cover herein all such changesand modifications which do not in material respects constitutedepartures from the spirit and scope of the invention as indicated bythe definitions thereof embodied in the appended claims.

What is claimed is: v

1. In a, harvester thresher having a thresher part, a harvester partincluding a transverse platform trough having a frame structure at itsgrainward end, the combination with said frame structure of a reenforcedcarrier plate mounted on said frame structure including means formounting an auger conveyer over said platform trough, and meansassociated with the plate and frame structure for leveling the augerconveyer in relation to the bottom of said trough- 2. In a harvesterthresher having a thresher part, a longitudinal feeder for the thresherpart, a harvester part including a transverse platform trough the bottomof which is disposed at a lower level than the feeder and an augerconveyer supported over the trough to feed to the feeder, thecombination with said trough of a ramp disposed in the trough below thedischarge end of the auger to aid the auger in feeding material onto thefeeder.

3. In a harvester thresher having a thresher part, a longitudinal feederfor the thresher part. a harvester part including a transverse platformtrough the bottom of which is disposed at a lower level than the feederand an auger conveyer supported over the trough to feed to the feeder,said auger conveyer including a relatively large diameter shaft portion,the combination with said shaft portion of a cone-shaped tip carried bythe shaft at the discharge end of the auger to aid in transfer ofmaterial onto the feeder.

4. In a harvester thresher having a thresher part, a longitudinal feederfor the thresher part, a harvester part including a transverse platformtrough the bottom of which is disposed at a lower level than the feederand an auger conveyer supported over the trough to feed to the feeder,the combination with said trough of a ramp disposed in the trough to aidthe auger in.

feeding material onto the feeder, and a conical tip at the terminaldischarge end of the auger disposed above the ramp and cooperatingtherewith to transfer material onto the feeder.

5; In a harvester thresher, a transverse wheel supported axle, alongitudinal thresher part carried on the axle, a harvester partadjustably related to the thresher part, an engine on the thresher part,an operator's deck carried on the thresher part in advance of theengine, and manually controlled adjusting means for the harvester partlocated adjacent said deck, said deck including a longitudinal deckextension disposed on substantially a level with the deck alongside thethresher part to enable an operator to crank said engine.

6. In a harvester thresher, a transverse wheel supported axle, alongitudinal thresher part carried on the axle, a harvester partadjustably related to the thresher part, an engine on the thresher part,an operator's deck carried on the thresher part in advance of theengine, and manually controlled adjusting means for the harvester partlocated adjacent said deck, said adjusting means including an uprightbar passing through an opening formed in the deck.

'7. In a harvester thresher, a transverse wheel carried axle, alongitudinal draw-frame connected to the stubbleward end of the axle, alongitudinal thresher part carried on the axle grainwardly of thedraw-frame, an engine on the thresher part, an operators deck disposedon the top of the thresher part in advance of the engine, a laddercarried on the draw-frame and extending upwardly and transversely tosaid deck, and a deck extension extending longitudinally along thegrainward side of the thresher part to enable an attendant to crank theengine.

8. In a harvester thresher, a longitudinal feeder and a transverseplatform trough including a back member, the combination with the troughof an auger conveyer supported over the trough and having its dischargeend positioned to feed into the side of the longitudinal feeder, andhinges disposed in the back member and trough intermediate the ends ofthe latter whereby the grainward end of the trough and back member maybe' folded to narrow the width of the harvester thresher for transportwithout removing the auger conveyer.

9. In a harvester thresher, a longitudinal feeder and a transverseplatform trough, a transverse auger conveyer having its discharge endterminating adjacent the grainward edge of the feeder, means to supportthe auger conveyer over the trough in a manner to leave its dischargeend free so that an unencumbered space is provided where the conveyerfeeds onto the feeder, the combination with said trough of hinge meansprovided therein intermediate its length to enable the grainward portionof the trough to be up wardly folded without removing the auger tonarrow the width of the harvester thresher.

10. In a harvester thresher having a longitudinal feeder mechanism and aharvester part operatively related thereto and including a troughextending grainwardly and transversely from the feeder mechanism, thecombination with the harvester part of a support carried at itsgrainward end, an auger conveyer carried solely by the support andextending along the trough toward the feeder mechanism, the freedischarge end of the auger terminating substantially at the grainwardside of the feeder mechanism, and hinges embodied in the harvester partwhereby the grainward end of the trough with the auger may be folded tonarrow the harvester thresher for transport.

11. In a harvester thresher having a longitudinal feeder mechanism and aharvester part related thereto and including a trough extendinggrainwardly and transversely from the feeder mechanism, the bottom ofsaid trough being disposed at a lower level than the feeder, thecombination with the harvester part of an inclined ramp disposed at thejunction of the feeder mechanism and the trough, a support rigidlycarried at the grainward end of the harvester part, an auger conveyercarried solely by the support and extending along the trough toward thefeeder mechanism, the free discharge end of the auger being reduced andterminating substantially at the inclined ramp and cooperating therewithto move material onto the feeder mechanism.

12. In a harvester thresher having a longitudinal feeder mechanism and atransverse harvester part operatively related thereto, said part beingfoldable with respect to the feeder mechanism about a substantiallylongitudinal pivot axis and including a trough extending grainwardlyalong the harvester part, the bottom of the trough when the harvesterpart is in operating position being disposed at a lower level than thefeeder mechanism, the combination with the harvester part of asupporting structure rigidly carried at its grainward end, a secondsupport adjustably carried by the structure, an auger conveyer carriedsolely by the second support and extending along the trough toward thefeeder mechanism, the auger being substantially coextensive with thetrough and having its free discharge end terminating substantially atthe aforesaid pivot axis, and an upwardly inclined discharge rampassociated between the feeder mechanism and the bottom of the troughwhen the harvester part is in operative position.

AI EXUS C. LINDGREN. CLEMMEA. R. RANEY.

